'''''In Living Color!''''' Wrote an article 'bout it! Like to read it? Here it goes!

Sketch comedy show that aired on Fox in the early 1990s, created by Keenan Ivory Wayans and starring many Wayans Brothers (Damon, Shawn, and Marlon) and one sister (Kim). The series is largely known as the launching pad for the careers of JimCarrey, Jamie Foxx, David Alan Grier, and Tommy Davidson as well as Music/JenniferLopez and [[Series/DancingWithTheStars Carrie Ann]] [[Film/AustinPowers Inaba]], who were part of the show's "Fly Girl" dancers.

The series was largely seen as ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for the black and Hispanic set (since ''SNL'' didn't have a lot of black cast members at the time[[note]]back in the 1990s, they had ChrisRock -- who left because of creative differences, Tim Meadows, who didn't become popular until the mid-1990s, and Ellen Cleghorne, who was lost in the shuffle of white, male cast members, but is considered the first black female repertory player who lasted more than one season. Compare to today, where they have five black cast members -- Kenan Thompson, Jay Pharoah, Michael Che, Sasheer Zamata, and Leslie Jones -- which is the most black cast members the show has ever had in one cast[[/note]] and wouldn't get a Hispanic cast member until Horatio Sanz was hired in 1998[[note]]since then, ''SNL'' has had two other Hispanic cast members besides Sanz: Fred Armisen, who is now the longest-running Hispanic cast member [2002-2013] and Noel Wells, the first Hispanic female cast member, the first Hispanic cast member to be Mexican, and the most short-lived Hispanic cast member [was only on the show for the 39th season -- 2013-2014][[/note]]), featuring hip-hop and R&B musical acts.

The series spawned several popular characters, most notably the ex-con clown Homey D. Clown (Damon Wayans), the flamboyantly gay film critics for the "Men On..." series[[note]]it started out as "Men On Film," but there have been others, like "Men on Art," "Men on Vacation," "Men on Football," "Men on Fitness," and "Men on Books"[[/note]] (Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier), [[AbhorrentAdmirer abhorrent]] and MirrorCrackingUgly admirer Wanda (Jamie Foxx), mannish bodybuilder Vera [=DeMilo=] (Jim Carrey), and the cartoonishly destructive safety officer Fire Marshall Bill Burns (also Jim Carrey).

Unfortunately, the edgy comedy of the series eventually brought down the wrath of the network executives upon it, and the Wayans family ended up leaving the series. Season five, while mostly enjoyable because of Jim Carrey, David Alan Grier, Jamie Foxx, and Tommy Davidson, was considered a flop due to the absence of the Wayans siblings (and the sociopolitical satire that came with them, as the censors thought it was TooHotForTV), and the newer cast members[[note]]which consisted of Jay Leggett, Reggie [=McFadden=], Carol Rosenthal, Marc Wilmore, and Anne-Marie Johnson. Despite his appearances in some episodes, ChrisRock was never a cast member during ''In Living Color'''s final season. He was like SteveMartin on ''SNL'' in that he appeared a lot as a guest star[[/note]] they hired not connecting with audiences. The show ultimately was cancelled after five seasons, freeing the show's breakout stars to go on to varying degrees of success in film, TV, and stand-up comedy.

[[{{Revival}} It was scheduled to be revived with a new cast]] in 2012, but, due to negative reception from focus groups and executives over the new pilot, the project has been shelved. It's been speculated that the pilot will one day be redone and the show will air again, but, from all outward appearances, it looks as if it will never happen.

The show has been on and off television in reruns. It's been on FX, BET, Centric, and is now on FXX, where it used to air after midnight (mostly after the primetime marathon of ''TheSimpsons''), but now airs at 8:00 in the morning Mondays to Fridays. All five seasons are out on DVD as well, but beware: most episodes are [[ClumsyCopyrightCensorship edited to remove any and all traces of licensed songs]], such as characters WaxingLyrical, characters singing the actual song, popular 1990s songs playing during the Fly Girls interstitials, and the music video parodies. [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes If you want to see the show as it was back in the 1990s]], your best bets are the FXX reruns or YouTube[[note]]if you happen upon an uncut version, as most of them are the edited DVD cuts[[/note]].

Not to be confused with the funk-metal band LivingColour or a BBC radio comedy sketch show of a similar name.----!!This show contained examples of the following:

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Jamie Foxx's Ugly Wanda.* BagOfHolding: Wanda was implied to carry one of these, considering her ability to produce almost any item someone might ask for at any given time from her purse- up to and including cans of gasoline.* CampGay: The critics from ''Men on Film'' -- though they also examine books, television, art, vacation...* CatchPhrase: "Homey don't play that", "Lemme show ya somethin'!", among many, many others.** Calhoun Tubbs always punctuates his songs with "Aaahhhhh haaaaaaaa!"* CheerfulChild: Would-be child star Li'l Magic, whose biggest claim to fame is being "Miss Smile Bright 1987! See?"* ChezRestaurant: Chez Whitey's.* ClingyJealousGirl: [[DepravedKidsShowHost Candy Cane]] towards Jurassic Benny.* ClipShow: Some best-of episodes, plus an all-HilariousOuttakes show.* CrosscastRole: Besides Foxx as Ugly Wanda, one of Jim Carrey's recurring characters was steroid-abusing female bodybuilder Vera [=DeMilo=]. David Alan Grier played Li'l Magic's StageMom.* {{Crossover}}: Some of ''In Living Color'''s cast members have hosted ''SaturdayNightLive'' (or have some connection to it):** Jim Carrey: Originally auditioned to be a cast member for the 1980-1981 season and the 1985-1986 season (those, along with the 1994-1995 season, are considered ''SNL'' at its worst). Despite this, Carrey has hosted ''SNL'' three times: in 1996 (the last episode of season 21 [1995-1996 season]) and in 2011 (season 36 [2010-2011 season]; the first new episode of 2011), and on October 25, 2014 (the HalloweenEpisode of season 40 [2014-2015]).** David Alan Grier: Hosted ''SNL'' in the 1995-1996 season [season 21] (this episode became famous for a sketch called "Wake Up and Smile," about morning show hosts who turn savage after their teleprompter breaks and find themselves incapable of ad-libbing) and in its 1996-1997 season [season 22].** Jamie Foxx: Foxx hosted a season 25 (1999-2000) episode (the first new episode of the 21st century) and hosted again 12 years later on December 8, 2012.** Jennifer Lopez: Hosted a season 26 episode (2000-2001) and a season 35 episode (2009-2010). Is the only Hispanic celebrity to be a host and musical guest for two separate episodes. The first time she hosted had a sketch in which the ''In Living Color'' Fly Girls (all played by ''SNL'' cast members) visit her and tell her she lost her roots ever since she became famous.** Damon Wayans: Was a feature player for ''SNL'' during its 11th season (1985-1986); got fired after playing a cop character as a CampGay (the voice of which he would use later for his "Men on Film" character) in retaliation for Lorne Michaels and the writers not giving him any decent roles in sketches. Despite this, Wayans came back to do stand-up on the last episode of season 11 ([[WhatCouldHaveBeen which was slated to be the last episode of the entire series]] because of how [[SeasonalRot bad]] it was) and hosted an episode in another season that was plagued with SeasonalRot: season 20 (1994-1995 season). The episode Wayans hosted brought back two of his recurring ''In Living Color'' characters (Anton Jackson the homeless wino and Blaine Edwards from "Men on Film"; David Alan Grier also appeared as Antoine Merriweather from the same sketch).* DelusionsOfEloquence: Oswald Bates, an inmate who delivers self-educated political ramblings. The humor is based on his misuse of vocabulary words, and anatomical terms in particular.* DepravedKidsShowHost / SubvertedKidsShow: Several examples, all involving hosts who don't even try to pretend they don't have tons of personal issues.** Homey D. Clown (Damon Wayans) rants about how [[TheMan the white man]] keeps him down while ostensibly performing as a hired entertainer for kids (which he has to do as part of his parole).** Candy Cane (Alexandra Wentworth) is a {{Yandere}} who tries to hook up with the Barney the dinosaur expy because she wants to have kids before her biological clock runs out, but is constantly dumped and threatened to be arrested for her stalkerish ways.** The one-shot season five sketch "The Scary Larry Show" is hosted by a former Vietnam vet who now works as a [[GoingPostal mailman]] and still has flashbacks of the war, which he spins as trips to Imagination Land.** A RealLife example -- Pee-Wee Herman actor/creator Paul Reubens's porno theater arrest in 1991 -- was the basis for a sketch in which Pee-Wee (Carrey) sells a new Pee-Wee Herman doll modeled after Reubens's mugshot.** One skit subverts the concept: Mister Rogers (Carrey) goes to a store and hits on female customers before holding up the place, getting away with it because a policeman can't believe he's capable of such a thing, and then picking up a hooker with the money. The subversion is that he isn't the ''real'' Mister Rogers, but an excellent impersonator who gets away with being a pervert and an asshole to everyone because no one would suspect Mister Rogers of being this way.* DistaffCounterpart: Kelly Coffield played [[Creator/SamKinison Samantha Kinison]] in some early sketches. Culminated in one of the most hilarious sketches ever when Sam himself joined in to play the other half of a very dysfunctional couple.** Kelly Coffield also played a female version of Andrew "Dice" Clay.* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the first Fire Marshall Bill sketch (the fire safety in school sketch), Fire Marshall Bill had hair[[note]]though this is justified as all of those explosions and fires have burned off his hair and hair does not grow back once it's been set on fire down to the skin[[/note]] and his demonstrations weren't that destructive (read: he often appeared in one piece after the building he's in explodes).** The earlier episodes of ''In Living Color'' did not have Jennifer Lopez as one of the Fly Girls (she didn't come in until season three).* EnemyMine: A Season Five skit has Rush Limbaugh and Reverend Al Sharpton (played by Jay Leggett and David Alan Grier respectively) team up with each other, despite their opposing worldviews, in a tag-team wrestling match against Howard Stern and Robin Quivers (played by JimCarrey and T'Keyah "Crystal" Keymah respectively), who offend both men deeply.* FilmNoir: Spoofed in DeliberatelyMonochrome segments with [[TokenWhite Kelly Coffield]] as a stereotypical FemmeFatale dealing with a full-color real world of TheNineties...much to the confusion of those around her.* FunnyBackgroundEvent: The "Background Guy" skits with Carrey were based around this.* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Constantly. At the time, a number of pundits viewed the show as a dangerous menace to society, and decades later, a lot of the sketches (the ones that aren't dated due to the march of time) are still shocking.* HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight: Homey D. Clown.* HilarityEnsues* HypocriticalHumor: Miss Benita "ain't one to gossip", but...** Just don't say nothin' bad about Ms. Jenkins near her (though ''that'' doesn't stop her from gossiping about her either).* InsaneProprietor: And how, in the [[ParodyCommercial Crazy Tom's Electronics]] sketch. This guy trades off [[TechnologyMarchesOn a brand new top of the line VCR]] for [[BrickJoke an empty glass liquor bottle]]. After introducing [[BedlamHouse the staff]], he then recalls a regular dialogue he shares with customers:-->'''Crazy Tom: '''People come up to me, they say 'Crazy Tom?', [[AndThenISaid I say what?]]-->'''Tom quoting the Customer: ''' Just how can you give away high quality electronics at prices like these and still make a profit?!-->'''Crazy Tom: '''[[LaughingMad ...I DON'T!!]] [[GlassShatteringSound (breaks the bottle against his head)]] I'M CRAZY!!!!! * {{Jerkass}}: Homey D. Clown.* LosingYourHead: The Head Detective, and Fire Marshall Bill at the end of most of his sketches (including the last one, where his head is crushed as part of Gallagher's watermelon smashing act).* TheMan: Homey's mortal enemy. In one sketch, he purposely sold out to the Man by starring in cereal commercials where little kids humiliate him just so he can infiltrate high society and bop the man in the head.* MirrorCrackingUgly: Ugly Wanda used this to her advantage in a skit where ''Dracula'' was trying to escape her clutches -- noticing there's a mirror in her bedroom, he claims he hates them, so she goes up to it and says "Mirror, mirror, on the wall..." and it breaks. * TheMockbuster: Funky Finger Productions looks for backers for productions of this ilk. ''Stank Ho'' was their answer to ''Film/PrettyWoman'', and they had test footage for a fourth ''Penitentiary'' movie on hand in another skit. Many have an XMeetsY twist: ''Theatre/TheWiz'' meets ''Film/{{Flatliners}}'', for instance.* MyCard: Clavell and Howard Tibbs III of Funky Finger Productions use this to get attention -- the former is always "fresh out" of cards for their confused potential investor, and then the latter whips out one with a "BAM!"* {{Nepotism}}: Most of the producers/actors were related to one another. It's very telling that most of the show's breakout stars were the ones who had no blood connection to the Wayans in any way, shape, or form (JimCarrey, David Alan Grier, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, and Tommy Davidson).* TheNineties: A lot of early rap talent and many of the sketches reflect current news and pop culture going on at the time, which makes some of the humor dated. Unless you lived through the 1990s, you'll definitely have to Wikipedia some of the references (mostly the political stuff, as the pop culture stuff, like the movie and music parodies, are somewhat familiar to people these days).* PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy: "Impostor", JimCarrey's parody of "Informer" by Snow. Also JimCarrey's Vanilla Ice parody, "White, White Baby".* RaceLift: Most of the sketches that posed the question, "What if [X celebrity] was black?" Also, there was "[[AllInTheFamily All Up in the Family]]" and "East HollywoodSquares" from the final season. ** This was the whole point of ''Ted Turner's Really Colorized Classics'', which put famous black performers (and their shticks) in place of white ones in old films. Redd Foxx substitutes for Creator/CharlieChaplin in ''Film/TheKid'', and Billy Dee Williams gets Creator/HumphreyBogart's role in ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''.* RiskyBusinessDance: A BlackComedy version, where the Menendez brothers do the dance while wielding rifles.* SketchComedy* TakeThat: The show made fun of everything under the sun. Its main target was NBC's ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for underusing its African-American cast members at the time (such as Tim Meadows[[note]]though Tim Meadows would go on to be one of the most memorable cast members from 1995 to 2000[[/note]] and Creator/ChrisRock[[note]]who left ''SNL'' '''because''' of how underused he was and went on to do some ''In Living Color'' guest spots[[/note]]).* ThemeTuneRap: By Music/HeavyD (who also did the theme to ''Series/{{MADtv}}''). * TokenWhite: Creator/JimCarrey (the most popular of the five), Kelly Coffield, Alexandra Wentworth, Carol Rosenthal, and Jay Leggett.* VarietyShow* WhereNoParodyHasGoneBefore: Jim Carrey plays Captain Kirk in two ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' parody sketches. "The Wrath of [Louis] Farrakhan" has them come up against the leader of the Nation of Islam, and the other skit has a now-geriatric Kirk and company trying to recapture old glories before the attendants from their nursing home catch up with them.* [[YourMom Yo Mama]]: The recurring game show sketch ''The Dirty Dozens'', where contestants use "Yo Mama" jokes against each other for cash and prizes.----